Radio frequency identification (RFID) systems have achieved wide popularity in a number of applications, as they provide a cost-effective way to track the location of a large number of assets in real time. In large-scale application such as warehouses, retail spaces, and the like, many RFID tags may exist in the environment. Likewise, multiple RFID readers are typically distributed throughout the space in the form of entryway readers, conveyer-belt readers, mobile readers, etc.
At the same time, there has been a dramatic increase in demand for mobile connectivity solutions utilizing various wireless components and wireless local area networks (WLANs). This generally involves the use of wireless access points that communicate with mobile devices using one or more RF channels (e.g., in accordance with one or more of the IEEE 802.11 standards).
The number of mobile units and associated access ports, as well as the number of RFID readers and associated antennae, can be very large in an enterprise. As the number of components increases, the management and configuration of those components becomes complicated and time-consuming. This problem is exacerbated by the presence of handheld, wireless RFID readers and active RFID tags that communicate with access ports rather than standard RFID readers.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an efficient method of managing, configuring, and handling data from both RFID and WLAN systems. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.